Chapter 76 Barn Night Talk and New Seedlings
The late summer evening breeze, carrying the freshness after the wheat harvest, blew through the barn in the resurrection garden, gently swaying the corn strings hanging under the eaves. A lantern was lit in the barn. In the dim light, several figures sat around a pile of freshly threshed wheat straw. Their shadows were stretched out and cast on the mottled earth wall.
Shen Yanzhi added a piece of firewood to the fire, and sparks splashed up, illuminating the sand table in front of her. There were several small wood chips inserted in the sand table, representing different villages and experimental fields. She fiddled with the wood chips with a thin wooden stick, and the sound was particularly clear in the empty barn: "I have looked at the soil samples from the Western Regions that Ali brought back. The sand is too heavy, and it needs to be mixed with 30% rotten leaf soil to grow the 'Blood Jade' Valley. There is a big temperature difference between day and night, so the seeds have to be soaked in warm water for three hours in advance to break the dormant period."
"I made a note of it." Ali squatted by the fire, whittling a wooden stick in his hand. He raised his head when he heard the words, his green eyes flashing in the firelight. "When the autumn harvest is over, I will bring the seeds there. The herdsmen said that as long as the 'blood jade' valley can be grown, they will move the tent next to the experimental field and guard the seedlings."
Chunya sat aside, holding the soles in her hands, and added: "Do you want me to go with you? My mother-in-law is from an embroidery shop. She knows how to use plant ash to sterilize seeds. Maybe it can help." Her thread passed through the soles, leaving behind fine stitches.
Ali's face suddenly turned red, and the wooden stick in his hand almost cut his finger: "No, don't bother... I can do it alone."
"How can you call trouble?" Huwa poked his head out from the pile of wheat straw with a straw in his mouth.
